Scheme actuary services

We are a leading provider of scheme actuary services to UK Pension Schemes.  Our team has extensive experience across the full range of services that may be required from the appointed scheme actuary, including statutory valuations, negotiations with the sponsoring employer and liaison with the Pensions Regulator, member options and actuarial factors, transfer values, benefit changes and corporate transactions.  

What are actuarial services?

In the pension and finance sector, this service employs mathematical and statistical methods to assess risk for companies.

What does an actuarial consultant do? 

An actuarial consultant is a professional who offers advice to clients on investment and pension-related decisions, and through the use of statistics, plans and a large amount of data formulates a plan best suited to the client.  

What we help with

Our focus is on understanding your needs and providing advice that is tailored to your requirements, rather than adopting a ‘one size fits all’ approach. We provide clear, concise pragmatic advice and take a collaborative approach when dealing with other advisers or in negotiations with the sponsoring employer. 

Read our latest case study

Our investment in training and on-the-job mentoring enables our team to develop the right skills and understanding. People who join us tend to stay, thriving in a professional learning environment and caring, friendly culture. Unusually in the current market, we continue to put a lot of effort into recruiting graduates into our actuarial team, ensuring a steady stream of bright new talent. This commitment to our people and culture is evidenced by our regular inclusion in the ‘100 Best Companies to Work for’ rankings.

We have also invested heavily in our actuarial systems to enable our team to provide efficient, high-quality advice. We deliver funding advice using our bespoke financial modelling software, Illuminate. We also use this system to deliver up-to-date funding estimates and monitor progress against funding targets, which can be accessed by clients online or presented at meetings.

Case study

Working effectively with the Sponsor 

We are scheme actuary to a large scheme in the FMCG sector. The scheme actuary has worked closely with the trustees in this role, monitoring the funding position and identifying and managing the strategic risks faced by the Plan. 

Due to volatile and uncertain economic conditions, the scheme actuary and the trustees decided to seek additional risk management measures and engaged with the employer on this topic in the year running up to the next valuation date, so that any changes could be planned. 

The scheme actuary has developed a close working relationship with key employer contacts. Through meetings and conversations with the employer, they were able to understand the employer’s perspective and help the employer contacts to understand the Trustees’ objectives and constraints, and the various options available to manage the risks in the Plan.

Benefit to the client: This dialogue and planning enabled the trustees and employer to agree on some additional risk mitigation measures for the valuation including an increased level of deficit contributions, additional covenant security, and an agreed schedule of investment de-risking. From the employer’s perspective, these measures were effective as they met the trustees’ objectives with a controlled and budgeted cost and reduced the risk of a large unexpected deficit arising in future. 

Chairman of the Trustees: “It is important for us as trustees to have advisers who work collaboratively with the business, helping to find common ground and to make real progress in discussions, while knowing our advisers act in the best interests of the trustees and will stand-up for us when needed. Our scheme actuary strikes this balance well, providing a key link between the trustees and the employer so that we can find solutions that work for both parties.”